Orphée et Eurydice

[Orfeo ed Euridice – Version italienne]

by Christoph Willibald Gluck

Dates:

October 24, 27 and 29 at 7:30 p.m
October 31 at 2 p.m.

Location:

Louis-Fréchette Hall, Grand Théâtre de Québec

Language:

In Italian with French surtitles

Duration:

1 hour and 30 minutes, without intermission

Programme La Cenerentola

An Opera Prelude will take place at STUDIOTELUS at the Grand Théâtre, one hour before each performance. Admission is reserved for ticket holders.

6:30 p.m. on October 24, 27 and 29, and 1 p.m. on October 31.

Animée par le musicologue Bertrand Guay, avec une brève présence de Jean-Marie Zeitouni, directeur artistique et musical de l’Opéra de Québec, ces échanges d’une durée de 30 minutes offrent une formidable occasion d’en apprendre davantage sur le contexte entourant cette oeuvre et sur la vie fascinante de son créateur.

L’entrée est libre sur présentation d’un billet pour la représentation.

By phone:

Grand Théâtre de Québec box office
418 643-8131 / 1 877 643-8131

In person:

269 René-Lévesque Blvd. East,,
Quebec City, Quebec)

A production of the Opéra de Québec

Opera in 3 acts

Music : Christoph Willibald Gluck

Libretto: Ranieri de’ Calzabigi (based on the Greek myth of Orpheus)

With the Opéra de Québec Chorus and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec

Note: The cast is different for the October production in Quebec City.

With Orpheus and Eurydice, Gluck gives lyric theatre one of its purest forms. Through this love story that reaches beyond death, the work explores absence, doubt, and the fear of losing the beloved, while also evoking the power of art when faced with all that escapes our grasp.

This major production of Gluck’s masterpiece is directed by the renowned Canadian director Robert Carsen, whose vision powerfully illuminates the work’s simplicity and depth. It also marks the return to the Opéra de Québec of conductor Bernard Labadie, invited to share his passion for this rare and precious repertoire.

The role of Orpheus will be performed by the great contralto Rose Naggar-Tremblay, making her debut in this role. An exceptional encounter between an essential work, a remarkable performer, and artists of the very highest caliber.

SYNOPSIS

Act I

Eurydice has died. Her husband and friends mourn her at her grave. Orpheus (Orphée), now alone, succumbs to utter despair. Cupid then appears and announces that the gods have taken pity on him: he is permitted to descend into the underworld and attempt to bring his beloved back. But there is one condition. If he succeeds in finding her, he must not, under any circumstances, turn back toward her, nor explain the silence of his gaze before reaching the light. Determined, Orpheus sets out for the world of darkness.

Act II

As soon as he enters the underworld, Orpheus is stopped by the cries of the dead, who demand punishment for any reckless mortal. But the sweetness of his song breaks their resistance. He finally finds Eurydice, takes her by the hand, and, avoiding her gaze, leads her out of the fateful valley.

Act III

Eurydice cannot understand why Orpheus refuses to look at her or answer her questions. Believing herself rejected and seeing no reason to go on living, her suffering reaches a breaking point. Overwhelmed by his wife’s distress and forgetting the divine prohibition, Orpheus turns to comfort her. She dies instantly. As Orpheus is once again overcome by grief, Cupid, deeply moved by his despair, reappears to restore Eurydice to him…

This production was originally a co-production of the Canadian Opera Company, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Château de Versailles Spectacles, and the Fondazione Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.